London, Nov 17 : One in four kids is bullied at school because of their religious belief, according to a new study.

The study, conducted on more than 1,000 pupils by the anti-bullying charity BeatBullying, has shown that 23 per cent of the pupils were bullied as a result of their faith.

Also, 9 per cent of those with a faith were bullied as a result of wearing religious symbols to school.

"These two girls knew we were fasting, they got me in the toilets and tried to force crisps down my throat; they were all laughing their heads off," the Independent quoted one
13-year-old Muslim girl, as saying.

London, Nov 17 : The Iraqi cabinet has reportedly approved a hard-fought security pact with the US, under which all American troops would withdraw from the country in three years, thereby putting an end to the US-led occupation of Iraq.

But, the security arrangement will have to clear its final hurdle that of being ratified by the fractured Iraqi parliament today. The agreement was discussed for months together, but nine cabinet members failed to turn up at the meeting in which the agreement was adopted, reported The Independent.

The deal with the US raises expectations that Britain is on the point of agreeing a similar pact on the withdrawal of its 4100 troops from southern Iraq, it added.

London, Nov 17 : A new study has revealed that a hidden network of glacial lakes far below the Antarctic surface regulates the motion of the continent’s ice rivers.

The study was undertaken by Leigh Stearns of the University of Maine and her colleagues.

According to a report in New Scientist, when the subglacial lakes overflow, the ice above accelerates towards the ocean.

“It’s like putting in a squirt of oil,” said Andy Smith of the British Antarctic Survey. “The water lubricates the base of the glacier,” he added.

London, Nov. 17 : Former British Home Secretary John Reid has warned that mass migration and the Internet are major threats to the country’s national security.

According to The Telegraph, Reid also listed cyber attacks, pandemics, global warming and energy shortages as threats.

The MP for Airdie and Shotts said he is setting up a new think tank called the Institute of Security and Resilience Studies to assess long-term threats to the UK and other countries.

London, Nov 17 : Here’s something exciting for men dreading facial scars. A new study has found that scars increase men''s attractiveness to a woman.

The research team from the universities of Liverpool and Stirling has found that even though women find men with scars on their face more attractive, they would not have a long-term relationship with them.

During the study, almost 220 people were asked to look at pictures of men and women, some of which had been manipulated to have different scars.

It showed that women, who were shown faces of men with and without different scars rated the scarred faces as better looking.

However, they did not enhance women''s attractiveness to men.

London, Nov 17 : Researchers have developed a device that harnesses the power of the sea to push water uphill to provide cheap renewable electricity.

According to a report in The Times, the invention, known as ‘Searaser’, is designed to pump water hundreds of feet above sea level from where it can gush downhill to drive hydroelectric generators.

Pumping is made possible by the motion of waves lifting the device, as it floats in the sea, and gravity bringing it down again in the wave troughs.